The present invention relates to generating and displaying graphical images such as maps. The present invention is particularly useful to synthesize and display digital maps in real time.
A pilot flying an aircraft needs current, accurate information about the areas over which the aircraft is flying. The pilot often needs to know where towns, roads, bodies of water (lakes, rivers, etc.), and other natural and human features of the landscape are located. In some instances, it is also important for the pilot to know where political boundaries are located.
Traditionally, pilots have relied on maps, generally paper maps. However, paper maps may be cumbersome in cramped aircraft cockpits. In addition, the pilot must keep track of where the aircraft is relative to the features shown on the map.
Computer generated maps may be displayed in the cockpit. Such computer-generated maps eliminate the need for the pilot to continually refer to one or more paper maps. In addition, the computer can be programmed to identify on the display the position of the aircraft relative to the features shown on the map. Furthermore, the computer can identify the area over which the aircraft is to fly next, and generate and display a map for that region, relieving the pilot of the need to pull a separate paper map from a file.
Digital maps can be synthesized from vector data. However, generating such maps incorporating all the features of the area over which the aircraft is flying is a time-consuming task. Thus, it has been difficult to generate such maps in "real time" to create a moving map to display in the aircraft cockpit. However, to be useful to a pilot, a map displayed in the cockpit must be generated and displayed in real time. Therefore, there exists a need for a system to generate a moving map display in real time such as could be used by the pilot of an aircraft.